DHSS Press Release

DPH SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON HOW TO REACH RESIDENTS DURING EMERGENCIES

DOVER, DE (March 22, 2017) - The Division of Public Health (DPH) is seeking the public's input to develop the most clear and effective ways to reach Delawareans in the event of emergency situations such as hurricanes, flooding, serious illness outbreaks, industrial accidents, and power outages.

Over the next several weeks, DPH will survey Delaware residents via email and in-person small group discussions to better understand how to best reach residents with the most accurate and up-to-date information during an emergency event.

The information will be used to develop a meaningful Emergency

Public Information and Warning Plan for the State of Delaware.

"Your opinion is important to us. We are currently reviewing the methods we use to communicate vital information to our residents in emergency situations and we want to hear from you on how to do that more effectively," said DPH Deputy Director Crystal Webb. "Anyone is welcome to participate in the survey and it only takes about 10 minutes to provide your feedback on how you might respond during an emergency, and how we can best notify you and your loved ones with continuing updates."

Included in the survey is an option to participate in one of three focus group discussions to be held throughout the state. A complimentary meal will be served and a Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit will be raffled off at the end of the event.

The focus groups will be held:

Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center, Wilmington, from noon to 1:00 p.m. with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Anyone who is interested in participating in a focus group or has further questions should contact Cathleen Rossi at
cathleen.rossi@state.de.us
or 302-223-1246 by March 31 for consideration.

For more information about emergency preparedness, visit PrepareDE.org. The website provides useful information on how to prepare for different types of disasters in addition to preparedness tools and resources.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.